According to the Mail on Sunday, transport secretary Grant Shapps has convinced government colleagues to change tack on the stringent measures reintroduced to guard against the onset of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The UK’s red list was reduced to zero on 1 November when the seven remaining red-listed countries, which included Peru and the Dominican Republic, were removed.

However, less than a month later, six southern African countries were placed back on the list following the emergence in South Africa of Omicron. A further five African countries have since been added.

It means those returning to the UK from any of those 11 countries must self-isolate for 10 days in a government quarantine hotel at their own expense, which currently runs to £2,285pp.

The controversial measure, which the government says protects against the risk posed by new variants, has been widely criticised, with this criticism intensifying now that it is evident Omicron is spreading rapidly in the UK and in many other countries, calling into question the need for the red list.

The Mail on Sunday now reports that just a fortnight after the red list was revived, Shapps has "convinced colleagues" that fully vaccinated arrivals from red list countries should be spared hotel quarantine and allowed instead to manage their return through regular testing.

The paper reports the change could be approved as early as this week.

Speaking at a Covid press briefing last week, prime minister Boris Johnson suggested the UK government was looking to review the red list regime.

Johnson said that now Omicron was now "seeded" around the world, the government would "look at the red list and the way we do it".